Williams must prove himself again

New Bears receiver will get chance to redeem himself

BOURBONNAIS — Darryl Drake first met Roy Williams when he was a junior at Odessa Permian, the school on which the novel and movie "Friday Night Lights" is based.

The thing the Bears wide receivers coach, then an assistant at Texas, remembers most was Williams' transcript. All A's and B's recounted Drake, who beamed like a proud father when talking about his newest pupil.

So it comes as no surprise that a smart guy like that would seek out the quarterback for a meeting as soon as possible. Williams ate at a table with Jay Cutler during lunch Saturday, working to forge what he hopes will be a mutually beneficial relationship.

"I am new to this team and the leader of the football team is the quarterback," Williams said. "So for me to talk to the quarterback and get to know him, that's good for our football team and myself. A lot of quarterbacks don't like the receivers."

Does Williams have first-hand experience with a bad quarterback relationship? Maybe with the Cowboys?

"Oh no," he replied coyly. "That never has happened."

All of his answers in response to questions about three poor seasons with the Cowboys came with short answers.

Why didn't it work there?

"I don't know," he said.

Does he need to figure out why to succeed here?

"No," he said.

Does he have something to prove?

"No," he said.

The fact is Williams signed a prove-it deal with the Bears, a one-year contract with a base salary of less than $2 million. There are salary incentives, but the short-term contract is designed for the 29-year-old to prove his value and get back to the bargaining table.

The Bears have a low-risk gamble that a former first-round pick and Pro Bowl performer for the Lions can click for them as the offense makes a transition to greater emphasis on the wide receivers.

"I can't say what happened in Dallas, I don't know," Drake said. "All I know is the relationship I have with him and the relationship he has with coach (Mike) Martz. His motivation alone. … I really do think he wants to prove he can play."

Williams always said the right things when he was with the Cowboys and for the most part reports always indicated he did the right things. It just didn't work and the draft bounty Jerry Jones paid made it the anti-Herschel Walker trade for the Cowboys.

He had become the third receiver for the Cowboys and drops were a problem. According to ESPN, Williams dropped 8.2 percent of passes targeted for him over the last three seasons, the highest of any receiver targeted 200 or more times.

"He may have had some at some inopportune times but every receiver has them," Drake said. "That's not a concern. The concern is him making the plays he's given the opportunity to make consistently.

"Roy is one of those guys who feeds on success. If he's getting it, he's fine. If he's not, then he needs some counseling. And most receivers that have any kind of ability are like that. The great ones are like that."

Because Williams was a free agent he has to sit out until Thursday's practice, but he likes his chances of rebounding in a big way. He knows the system and he didn't forget Martz's golden rule.

"If I am where I am supposed to be when I am supposed to be there and don't fool the quarterback, I have a good chance," Williams said. "I don't fool the quarterback."